Driving mechanism.



A. W. ALTORFER.

DRIVING MECHANISM.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 16. 1914.

Patented J 11110 18, 1918.

2 SHEETSSHEET 1.

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A. W. ALTORFER.

DRIVING MECHANISM.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 16. 1914.

Patented J 11110 18, 1918.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

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ALPHEUS W. ALTORFER, OF ROANOKE, ILLINOIS.

DRIVING MECHANISM.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 18, 1918.

Application filed February 16, 1914. Serial No. 818,887.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALPHEUS W. AL'roR- FER, a citizen of the United States, residin at Roanoke, in the county of Woodford an State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Driving Mechanism, of which the following is a specification.

This invention has reference to the driv-- ing mechanism for a washing machine, and includes means adapted to be actuated by the raising of the lid or cover of the machine for disconnecting said driving mechanism and thereby bring the dolly, or agitating means, or other clothes Washing elements 0perated by the driving mechanism, to a standstill.

The invention has for a further object to provide a driving mechanism for a washing machine, including suitable gearing arranged to be operated by an electric motor or from any other suitable source of power and to transmit motion to the dolly, agitating means, or other clothes washing elements, and means is provided for disconnecting said driving mechanism so as to brin the dolly, agitating means, or other clothes washing elements to a standstill when the lid or cover of the machine is raised, and said parts are returned to their normal or operative positions when said lid or cover is returned to its closed position.

In the drawings Figure l is an end elevation showin a washing machine with my invention applied thereto, parts being broken away to illustrate the meshing of the teeth of a reciprocatory rack with the teeth of a pinion;

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of Fig. 1, a part being removed but shown in dotted lines;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary plan view of Fig. 2, parts being removed and other parts being broken away;

Fig. 4 is a detail plan showing a modification included in the driving mechanism;

Fig. 5 is a detail plan of a part of the driving mechanism, and means carried by the lid or cover of the machine arranged to disconnect the gearing in the driving mechanism, when the lid or cover of the machine is raised, and to reconnect said gearing when the lid or cover is closed;

Fig. 6 is an elevation in section of the parts shown in Fig. 5, as the same would appear on the line 66 of Fig. 5;

Fig. 7 is an elevation of Flg. 5 looking in the direction of the arrow shown on Fig. 5:

Fig. 8 is an end elevation of Fig. 5, somewhat similar to Fig. 6 showing parts partially raised, which position, they would assume during the raising of the lid or cover of the machine;

Fig. 9 is a side view of the left hand side of said figure;

Fig. 10 is a plan view of Fig. 8 looking at said parts in the direction of the arrow in said figure;

Fig. 11 is a view similar to Fig. 5, except that the modified construction in Fig. 4 is shown in said figure;

Fig. 12 is a perspective view of the casing or element attached to the lid or cover of the machine which is adapted to disconnect the gearing when the lid or cover of the machine is raised.

Like characters of reference denote corresponding parts throughout the figures.

l designates a washing machine supported -by a stand, platform or other'suitable support, 2. The washing machine 1 has the usual hinged cover or lid 3 through which operates a vertically shaft beneath the lid 3 supporting a dolly mechanism, or agitating mechanism, or other clothes washing elements 5, best seen in dotted lines in Fig. ,1.

On the upper end of the shaft 4 is carried a bevel pinion 6 said bevel pinion meshes constantly with a bevel pinion 7 carried on the inner end of a horizontally disposed crossed shaft 8, having a bearing in a sleeve 9, and said shaft 8 on its opposite or outer end carries a bevel pinion 10, ada ted to have a meshing relation with a beve pinion 11 on-a horizontally disposed shaft 12 which is arranged t'ransversely to the shaft 8. The sleeve 9 forming a bearing for the shaft 8 is preferably cast integral with a bracket 13' which is secured to the lid or cover 3 and also provided with bearing arms 14 through which the shaft 12 passes and on which said bracket 13 and said lid or cover 3 may swing when said lid or cover is raised or lowered.

Fig. 8 looking at disposed shaft 4, said The shaft 12- is further journaled in bearings l5 and 16 secured to the washing machine proper or some support fixedly attached thereto.

The shaft 12 is adapted to be rocked in its bearings and in turn impart a rocking.

movement to the cross shaft 8, which in turn,

Q r meters will impart a rocking movement to the vertical shaft 4 in the washing machine. I ac com lish this rocking movement/by theuse; oft e following elements: On the outer end 6 of the shaft 12 is carried a spur pin1on 1 7 and the teeth of this pinion have a meshlng relation'with the teeth of a rack bary18,

said rack. bar having movement in a sleeve-- or casing 19 which guides the movement of.

said rack bar and maintains a meshing relation between said bar and the pinion 17, and said rack bar is connected with a p1tman 18 having a swiveled connection with a pin 20 on a gear wheel 21. The rotatiom itself to the movement of the pitman 18 'as 'it is operated by the gear wheel 21. The ear wheel 21 is carried on a longltudinal y dis osed shaft 22 suitably our- 80 nalcd' on the rame'support or washing machine proper and said gear wheel 21 1s operated by a pinion 23 on a short shaft 24.; said short shaft 24 also carrying a pulley 25 engaged by a belt 26 operated from a s5 pulley 2 on the motor shaft 28. In this in stance the motor is shown as an electricmotor although the shaft 22 carrying the gear wheel 21 may be operated from agasolene engine or from an other suitable source of power. If an e ectr1c motor 18 used it will be suitably supported on the framework of the machine, as shown.

The gear wheel 21 may be partlally incased by a casing 29 and the bevel gears 6 and 7 which are used to impart movement from the cross shaft 8 to the vertical shaft in the washing machine, may be incased by a suitable casing 30.

The shaft 22 in addition to being employed for imparting movement to the shafts 12, 8 and 4 may also be employed for imparting movement to the wringer 31 through a vertically dis osed shaft 32, su tably geared to the, sha '22. As no claim is made to the. wringer drive, these parts have only been illustrated in a rather indefinite way.

In the preferred construction shown 1n all figures except Figs. 4 and 11, the bevel pinion'll on the shafts 12 is carried by a sleeve 33 which has a spline and groove connection with said shaft so as to adapt it to be rotated with the shaft and to slide on the shaft whereb the'bevel pinion 11 may be moved out o and into mesh with the bevel chine, the walls of the groove 39 lie upon shaft 12 so that it may oscillate and adapt 'groove will positively actuate the finger 35 the shaft 12 is loosel pinion 10 on the cross shaft 8. Said sleeve 33 is formed with an annular groove 34-. in.

which operates a'fingiefil35 pivotally' secured to the top of the was g machine 1 or some. fixed part thereof.- 36 denotes a casing adapted to be secured to the bracket 13 and withit to the lid or cover 3 of the machine, and said casing 361s formed with parts 37 and 38 adapted to cover the inions'lO and 11 as well as the sleeve 33. he part 37 of the casing 36 is formed with a groove 39, the opposite walls of which are curved, as best seen in Figs. 5 and 10, and when said casing 36 is secured in position on the maopposite sides of the finger 35, entering the groove 34 in the sleeve 33. The shape of the 'opposite walls of said groove 39 are such that when the lid or cover 3 is raised said finger 35 will be oscillated in apositive manner to move the sleeve 33 on the shaft 12 in a direction which will separate or disconnect the bevel pinions 11 and 10, and

thereby bring the cross shaft 8 and shaft 4 to a standstill. When the lid or cover is lowered or closed, the finger 35 moving in the groove 39 will move the sleeve 33 in the opposite direction and cause the bevel pinion 11 to be moved into meshing relation with the pinion 10. In this way one wall of the groove 39 in the casing 36 will positively actuate the finger 35 and with it the sleeve 33 to disconnect the inion ll from the pinion 10, and the opposlte wall of said I to move it and the sleeve 33 in the opposite direction to bring the bevel pinion 11 in meshing relation with the bevel pinion 10.

In Figs. 4 and 11 the bevel pinion 11 on carried in a suitable 10 way on said shaft an has a clutch extension 11 adapted to have connection with a'clutch extension of the sleeve 33, said sleeve 33 being somewhat similar to the sleeve 33 and formed with'an annular groove 3 1 in which 11. operates the finger 35. In this construction, means is provided for positively moving the finger 35 and with it the sleeve 33 to separate the clutch extension of said sleeve 33 from the clutch extension 11 of the pinion 11, when the lid or cover 3 is raised, and a yielding means is employed for causing the sleeve 33 to be brought into clutch engaging relation with the clutch extension 11 of the pinion 11, when the lid or cover 3 is lowered or closed. In this modification the casing 36 does not have the groove 39, but it does have a'sinuous shaped wall 40 which will bear against the finger 35 as the lid or cover 3 1s raised for oscillating 12 said finger and moving the sleeve 33 to separate its clutch part from the clutch extension 11 of the pinion 11. Bearing against one end of the sleeve 33 is a spring 41 coiled about the shaft 12, which also bears against a collar 42 suitably spaced from the end of the sleeve 33 and fixed on the shaft 12. As the sleeve 33 is moved to separate its clutch part from the clutch extension 11 of the pinion 11, the spring 41 will compress, and when the lid or cover 3 is lowered or closed, returning the casin 36 to the position shown in Fig. 11, the spring 41 will act to return the sleeve 33 to its normal position with its clutch art engaging the clutch extension 11' of tie pinion 11 and cause said pinion 11 and said pinion 10 to rotate with the rotation of the shaft 12.

Suitably located on the machine, preferably on the shaft 12 is a plate stop 43, against which the lid or cover 3 will rest when in its raised position.

What I claim is l. Ina driving mechanism, in combination, a machine having a hinged element, a shaft passing through said element, a crossshaft journaled on said element and geared to said first shaft, a driving shaft journaled on said machine, meshing gears on said cross and driving shafts, said gear on the driving shaft being slidable on said driving shaft to be moved into and out of meshing relation with said gear on the cross shaft, and means movable with said hinged element for sliding said gear on the driving shaft.

2. In a driving mechanism, in combination, a machine having a hinged element, a shaft passing through said element, a crossshaft journaled on said element and geared to said first shaft, a driving shaft journaled on said machine, meshing gears on said cross and driving shafts, said gear on the driving shaft having an extended sleeve provided with an annular groove, and said sleeve and its gear being slidable on said driving shaft to move said gear into and out of meshing relation with the gear on the cross shaft, a pivoted member operating in the groove of said sleeve, and means attached to said hinged element arranged to operate said pivoted member and slide said sleeve when said hinged element is moved.

3. In .a driving mechanism, in combination, a machine having a hinged element, a shaft passing through said element, a crossshaft 1ournaled on said element and geared to said first shaft, a driving shaft journaled on said machine, bevel gears connecting said shafts, one of said gears bein slidably mounted whereby it may be mov into and out of meshing relation with the other gear, and means movable with said hinged element for sliding said slidable gear.

4. In a driving mechanism, in combination, a machine having a hinged element, a shaft passing through said element, a crossshaft journaled on said element and geared to said first shaft, a driving shaft journaled on said machine, bevel gears connecting said shafts, one of said gears being slidably moved into and out of meshing relation with said can on the cross-shaft, means carried bg sa1d hinged element for sliding said slida le gear when said element is moved, a gear whee on one end of said driving shaft,

rack-bar for actuating said gear wheel, and

. means for reciprocatlng said rack-bar.

6. In a driving mechanism, in combinatlon, a machine having a hinged element, a shaft passing through said element, a crossshaft journaled on said element and geared to said first shaft, a driving shaft journaled on said machine, shafts, one of said gears being slidably' mounted whereby it may be moved into and out of meshing relation with the other gear, means movable with said hinged element for sliding said slidable gear, a gear wheel on one end ofthe driving shaft, a rack-bar for actuating said gear wheel, and means for reciprocating said rack-bar.

7. In a driving mechanism, in combination, a machine having a hinged element, a shaft passing through said element, a crossshaft journaled on said element and geared to said first shaft, a driving shaft journaled on said machine, bevel fgears connecting said driving and cross-sha ts, said gear' on the .driving shaft being slidable thereon, a

pivoted member for sliding said slidable gear, a casing attached to said element and adapted to cover the gears connecting the driving and cross-shafts, said casing probevel gears connecting said.

llO

vided with a groove to receive said pivoted member, the opposite walls of which are I curved, whereby, when said element is raised, one wall of the groove will move said pivoted member to slide the slidable gear in one direction, and whensaid element is lowered, the opposite wall of said groove will move said pivoted member to slide the slidable gear in the opposite direction.

8. In a driving mechanism, in combination, a machine having a hinged element, a shaft passing through said element, a crossshaft journaled on said element and geared to said first shaft, a drive shaft journaled on saidmachine, bevel gears connecting said driving and cross-shafts, said gear on the driving shaft being slidable thereon, a pivoted member for sliding said slidable gear, a'

casing attached to said elementand adapted to cover the gears connecting the driving and cross-shafts, said casing provided WItha groove to receive said pivoted member, the opposite walls of which are curved, whereby, when said element is raised, one wall of the groove will move said pivoted member to slide the slidable gear in one direction, and when said element is lowered, the opposite wall of said groove will move said pivoted member to slide the slidable gear in the opposite direction, and reciprocat ory rotary means for imparting movement to said driving shaft.

9. In a driving mechanism, in combination, a machine having a hinged element, a shaft passin through said element, a crossshaft ourna ed on said element and geared to said first shaft, a gear wheel on the opposite end of said cross-shaft, a driving shaft, a sleeve slidably carried on said driving shaft, a gear wheel carried by said sleeve and adapted to mesh with the gear wheel on the end of the cross-shaft, a inge for the element having a bearing on the driving shaft, means for rocking said drivingshaft, a pivoted member for sliding said sleeve and its gear wheel on the'driving shaft, and-a member attached to said element and adapted to, operate said ivoted member, when said hinged element is moved.

10. In a driving mechanism, in combination, a machine having a hinged element, a shaft passing through said element, a crossshaft Journaled on said element and geared to said first mentioned shaft, 8. driving shaft journaled on said machine gears on each of said driving and cross-sha ts, adapted to intermesh to impart movement from the driving shaft to the cross-shaft, means controlling the operation of the gear on the driving shaft by said shaft, said means operating to actuate the gear on the driving shaft when the hinged element is lowered, whereby operation may be'imparted to the cross-shaft, and said means operating to interrupt the operation of the gear on the driving shaft,

when the hinged element is raised.

11. In a device of the character described, in combination, a hinged element, a shaft supported thereby, a driving shaft, driving connections between said shafts, a movable element on the driving shaft adapted to control the operation of thefirst mentioned shaft from the driving shaft, said element on the driving shaft being moved by the raising of the hinged element.

12. In a device of the character described, in combination, a hinged element, a shaft supported thereby, a driving shaft, driving connections between said shafts, a movable income element on the drivin shaft adapted to control .the operation 0 sh'aftfrom the driving shaft, a finger for moving the element on the driving shaft, and

the first mentioned means having a sinuous portion against h which the finger ment is swung.

13. In a device of the character described, in combination, a hinged element, a shaft supported thereby, a driving shaft, driving rconnectionsbetween said shafts, a movable rides, when the hinged eleelement on the drivin shaft adapted to control the operation 0 the first mentioned shaft from the driving shaft, a member for 'moving said element on the driving shaft,

in combination, a hinged element, a shaft supported thereby, a second shaft also supported by said hinged element, driving connections between said shaft, a drivin shaft, driving connections between the riving shaft and said second mentioned shaft, a movable element on one of said last mentioned shafts adapted to control the transmission of movement one to the other, a member for moving said movable element, and means operated by the hinged element when swung, for actuating said member.

16. In a device of the character described, in combination, a hinged element, a shaft supported thereby, a second shaft also supported by said hinged element, bevel gears connecting said sha ts, a driving shaft, driving connections between the driving and I second mentioned shafts,,means controlling shaft from said driving shaft, a pinion on the outer end of said driving shaft, a rackbar in mesh with said pinion, a gear wheel connected with one end of said rack-bar, a motor, and driving connections between said motor-and said last mentioned gear wheel.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

ALPHEUS W. ALTORFER. Witnesses? JNo. L. JONES,

S. H. 'AL'roRrnR.v 

